Dysarthria Consequent to Cervical Spinal Cord Injury and Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Damage: A Case Report

OBJECTIVE: To assess and describe the involvement of all speech subsystems, including respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance, and prosody, in an individual with cervical spinal cord injury. METHODS: Detailed speech and voice assessment was performed that included Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment, cranial nerve examination, voice (per-ceptual and instrumental) and nasometric evalua-tion, and intelligibility and communicative effecti-veness. RESULTS: Impaired respiratory and phonatory con-trol correlated with the physical impairment of C4 and C5 prolapsed intervertebral disc. Cranial nerve examination indicated nerve IX and XI pathology. Phonatory deficits such as imprecise consonants and mild sibilant distortions were apparent. Voice analysis revealed a hoarse, breathy voice with re-duced loudness and no problems with resonance. Reading and speaking rate was reduced, and over-all a mild reduction in communicative effectiveness was perceived. CONCLUSION: Assessment of the speech subsystems produced a comprehensive picture of the patient’s condition and impairments in one or more areas was identified. Treatment options to improve speech outcomes were provided.